After a break-in
Burglary repair Mutxamel, from the forced door to one that is harder to force
Somebody has forced the door, or had a go at it. First it is made to close and lock, so the house or the premises can be left tonight, and you get a written note of what was found for the insurer. Then, if you want it, a door that is harder to beat next time.
Open 24 hours · 7 days
- Secured on the first visit
- Written note for the insurer
- Price agreed before work starts
The first visit
Shut and locked before anyone leaves
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Police first
Report it on 091 or 112, or to the Policía Local, and ask whether they want to see the door before anything is touched.
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Photographs
The door, the frame, the cylinder and anything on the floor, from more than one angle.
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The door made sound
A new cylinder, the keep refitted, the lock repaired or replaced so the door closes and locks properly.
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The note
What was found and what was done, on paper, for the insurer.
Next time
A security upgrade that suits the door you have
No door is impossible to open, but most break-ins go for the quickest one in the street. The aim is to make yours slow, noisy and visible. How doors are actually forced explains which of these stops what.
- High-security cylinders with protection against snapping, bumping, picking and drilling.
- Guard plates that cover the cylinder so it cannot be gripped.
- A stronger keep and longer screws, so the frame does not split before the lock gives.
- Multipoint locks on doors that only bolt in one place.
- The gate, which is the first thing anyone has to get past in the urbanizations.
In Mutxamel
Chalets left empty, timber doors, and units
Chalets in the urbanizations
In Bonalba, Cotoveta, Valle del Sol and Monnegre a chalet can sit with nobody in it while its owners are away, and an empty house shows. Coming back to a lock that feels different is unsettling; this guide tells wear from an attempt.
Older houses in the centre
Timber street doors round the church and in El Ravalet often lock with a mortice lock that was never meant to stop anyone determined. A better lock, a stronger keep or a second lock higher up can be fitted without spoiling an old door.
Units at Riodel
The park has had cameras linked to the Policía Local since 2022. Tell the police which unit and roughly when, and see the page for business premises for the rest.
Also worth knowing
Valuables, keys and the rest of the house
If keys were taken with the bag or the car, every lock they open should be changed, not just the one that was forced: that is an ordinary lock change, booked for the next day if it does not have to be done tonight. A safe that was attacked, or one you now want fitted, has its own page. The places covered are on the areas page, and the email address for written quotes is on contact.
Questions
Questions from people whose door was forced
Should the police see the door before it is repaired?
Ring them first and ask. They may want to look, or take prints, before anything is touched. Photographs from several angles are worth taking either way; the insurer will ask for them.
The cylinder was snapped. Can the same lock stay?
Often the lock body survives and only the cylinder needs replacing. It is a good moment to choose one with snap protection, since that is how this door has already been beaten once.
What does the note for the insurer contain?
The date, the address, how the door was forced as far as can be seen, what was repaired or replaced, and the parts used. Keep it with the police report number.
Is a guard plate worth fitting on a chalet door?
On a door whose cylinder sticks out, usually yes. A good guard plate covers the cylinder so it cannot be gripped or snapped, and it is one of the cheaper things that make a real difference.
Next
Often the next thing to sort out
From the guides
- A unit at Riodel that will not open on a Saturday morning · 4 min
- Bought a chalet? The gate, the front door and the annex, in that order · 4 min
- Home after weeks away, and the lock feels wrong · 4 min
- Nobody in the house remembers the safe code · 3 min
- Snapped, bumped or picked: how front doors are forced · 5 min
Door forced, or somebody has tried?
Ring now: it is made safe first, and the rest can be planned once you have slept.
Open 24 hours · 7 days